Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Drop Test

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phablet, with its massive 5.5-inch display suffered through a drop-test by the same guys recently drop tested the Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 5. Android Authority’s Note 2 drop test includes dropping the giant Android smartphone from three different heights.

Android Authority tested the Samsung Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5 head-to-head when Apple launched its latest phone two weeks ago. The iPhone 5 fared very well, while the Samsung Galaxy S III broke after a short drop from chest high. The results were somewhat surprising considering how many shattered iPhones we’ve seen in recent years and that an Android fan site conducted the tests.

So how did the new international version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 fare? See for yourself in the video below.

The Galaxy Note 2 didn’t have any significant damage after three drops. The first drop was from 2′ 6″, demonstrating what might happen if a user dropped his phone while pulling it out of his pants pocket. The second drop was from 4′, about chest high, simulating how a user might drop his phone while raising it to talk. Finally, the Galaxy Note 2 was dropped from about 5′ 6″, simulating a drop from ear height.

Each time the Galaxy Note 2’s back came off and the battery popped out. However, the screen didn’t break and the phone’s edges had only a few scratches. No one likes such scratches, but they can easily be avoided by outfitting the phone with a case. While these drop tests are hardly scientific, it appears that the Galaxy Note 2 is more durable than the Galaxy S III where it matters most. Cracked displays render smartphones unusable and are very expensive to repair. If the above video is any indication, Note 2 users are going to have to put their devices through some serious abuse before having to foot a display repair bill.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will be available in the United States later this month.

This is some refreshing info to know! I’m getting a Note2 hands down after researching, but must admit the larger screen scared me due to possible structural issues and easy breakage.

However, now that I’ve seen your article and video I have nothing stopping me from this piece of Samsung yumminess :3

Even though I have an IPhone 4s currently, I’m just not impressed with my first non-Android phone after about 6 months or so (that’s strictly my opinion however, and if given the opportunity I would take many of the IPhone apps to the Note2 since some are so great!).

Thanks for taking this concern out of mind!

p.s. For those that take the time to read/watch then leave boorish or LESS THAN INTELLIGENT comments like “aaa” chose to do…your own advice may be a very healthy thing to follow ;)

I’ve been researching phones for the last few weeks and this is possibly the 8th idiot I’ve seen dragging down the IQ of society with no benefit of opinion or aid to the populace interested in the actual topic.

i absolutely agree with you. this video is very misleading.The galaxy note 2 is notorious for screens that crack on impact at the first face down drop. in fact this is the number one issue with this otherwise lovely phone.

l had a drop literally of less than 5″ when phone was set on a step but then tipped off edge to next step below. Crack across entire width of screen from this minor edge impact. something is up with these screens if they cannot handle such a minor fall, but of course no warranty of screens and no path for recourse even if faulty quality, so out over $220 for replacement.

additionally my international version has no multi window – only discovered after purchase that not all versions have what has been a heavily promoted feature.

As owner of Note 1, Note 10.1 and Note 2, I obviously like the Notes concept but l am not at all pleased with this latest experience.

Bottom line, put a case on your phone and it won’t break.
The biggest problem I have with the S3 iPhone test is that they purposefully dropped the S3 on its face and only dropped the iPhone on the edge. BS test.

I’ve only owned this phone less than 48hrs… Bent over to check the air pressure in my tires then the phone slipped out of my chest pocket and the screen shattered with cracks all over it. Great phone but poor craftsmanship…Samsung really cheaped out on this phone. I still have my original Samsung epic and have dropepd it quite a few times accidentally with nothing more than a few scratches and scuff marks.
Contacted assurion and paid $200 for them to replace it but they are on back order for the next 10-14 days because they didnt expect to have such a high number of galaxy note2 users filling insurance claims about cracked screens in such a super short period of time.
Nice little video but…drop it right and get the same trgic results we all have experienced.

Im not surprised it shattered…it is scratch proof alright but it easily shatters. Seems sorta like a scam to have people pay $200 all day to the insurance company just to replace the screens on these phones. I have intentionally dropped it a few more times since the original accidental drop, a few more cracks but the phone still works like a charm.
So my conclusion is that the phone is well built on the inside but the glass is an intentional rip off.

PS: my replacement phone got delivered yesterday but I’m not switching to it until I get a suitable case from the sprint store. Till then, I’m gonna ride this broken one into the ground.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, It fell from my lap onto a solid floor. The screen is completely and utterly smashed. £150 for repair from Samsung. Gutted I have a really weak phone, should of stuck with the nokias.

I have a Galaxy Note 2 that I have owned for less than a month. For no damn reason, a crack running from the middle left side of the screen all the way down to the bottom right corner appeared after resting gently in my pocket. I haven’t the slightest clue as to why it happened. Taking it in to Samsung service today. They better not try to bill me for the repairs. I already paid 500 Euros for the thing this month.

72 hrs in dropped phone while scratching my ankle phone slid out of my hand fell 4″ sliding down my shoe and cracked the glass in half ….gorilla what?! 2 days later set it down on my table softly and got to watch the entire glass spider web………. someone dropped the ball here. And my phone was in the samsung case they sell for it……..

I’ve had my note 2 for less then 2 weeks … it was at a stand still sitting on a bar… A 16 ounce solid glass cup fell and the rim just barely nicked the egde n spider webbed across the top left corner of the phone. .. The drinking class was still in tacked… What gives?

I just dropped my NOTE 2 for the first time on to a soft wood floor with a case on the phone and the stupid glass cracked all the way along the top of the phone. First time I ever dropped it. This Gorilla glass is a complete and utter joke!! I dropped my previous iphone at least 25 times from that height and never had a scratch. AARGH>!

I just watched as my gf dropped a glass container of foundation about 2 feet onto the left hand side of her note 2, the thing almost exploded! Completely spider-webbed screen, not a scratch onthe foundation bottle..

IMPORTANT: this test reveals nothing if your phone falls on it’s bezel. The back cover will come off and the battery will fall out, minor scuffs. What is NOT revealed in this kind of test is the incredibly delicate nature of the screen. Read the posts around the web.
The only test that you need to see is the “fall on its face” test. It will fail this test every time. Mine was in a thick, soft rubber case which successfully resists damage from non-face falls. However, my Note 2 dropped from four feet onto the sidewalk, flat and hard onto it’s face. Instant and total crackage. As noted above, the only way to guard against this is a proper case. I thought I had one, learned the hard way. A case with all sides covered is the only way to go. (PS I dropped my iphone 4 for 2 1/2 years and never suffered screen damage. Just sayin’….)

I’ve had my Galaxy Note 2 for a total of 6 days. It slipped from chest high and shattered the whole screen! I was actually going to swap it today to go back to my Iphone until this happened. Androids are too complicated. Guess I’ll be paying for another phone! :(

Sorry ur screen cracked too. :( I love android though. Offers so much more than apple. I should have ordered an otter case right away. I have never damaged any of my phones till this.
You could get phone repaired. I think it will be cheaper. check w/ samsung.

Mine had otter box on, the commuter series, and my note 2 fell from around 6 ft (the bathroom shelf was well over my head). I really needed to pee and that was the only dry place cuz of the towels. IT FELL 6FT AND NOT A SCRATCH ON IT! Im still checking my phone for any damage but there was nothing, not even a scratch on the case. Also the back cover didnt fall off cuz of the case. Id recommend otter box because it even has a year warranty for any lost part or broken case! Kinda pricey tho..

my note 2 fell less than 6 inches onto a bathroom floor. I had no case yet cause I didnt find one that looked safe. Funny there are soo many choices for S3 and i5. Screen cracked vertically along edge…phone still works but how annoying to have a cracked screen new phone only after owning 7 days.

Dropped
My note 2 today , guess !!!!what shattered the j screen , not good only a month and a half old -no warranty —-funny how iphone had the same faults uhmmmmmmmmmmm apple replace the unit no questions asked

My note 2 fell last night from about 2 feet high and fell on the right lower corner where the pen is located. Got a minor crack from this corner going to the center button. I should have gotten a durable phone case earlier. 2 feet high? =(

not even a month old and my note 2 drops 2 feet off the ground…phone was in a protective casing but screen still gone…just got it replace for 160 euros…note 2 is very good in perfromance but sadly very weak structurally unlike my blackberry i used to have…that phone fell many times on almost every surface but its lcd never broke!

Coworker had one for about 3 hours, it had a case that came from verizon, but it was not well designed, and the guy dropped it, it hit on the corner of the glass and the glass shattered. I have a Note (not 2) and bought a good case that has rubber all the way around the edge of the screen. Dropping on a flat surface, there is no way for the glass to even be touched. I’ve dropped mine dozens of times with no damage.

It’s amazing that they build these things to be so fragile and costly to fix.

i have samsung note 2 for 7 months. last night its lcd suddenly crack at left upper corner of the phone and the whole screen turned black.send to repair this morning and ask the staff whether this is the material defect. she replied that her colleague’s one dropped few times but never break, but one customer claimed no drop/hit, but also have a crack at upper corner. i have to pay about rm600 for replacement, and the guarantee remained the same, until may 2013. my quest is will the lcd screen crack without drop, but just because of manufacturing defect?

Just bent over to pick up my car key, Note 2 fell out from front shirt pocket and the screen is cracked like a spider web. Phone still works though. Took to the local phone store, they want $320.
Just own this Note 2 for few weeks.
Is there anyway you can buy the screen and do it yourself kinda repair? Thanks

I’ve been known to drop my phone. Moreso than most. I was so happy to see that the Note 2 can withstand the tortures from people such as myself. As fate would have it, I did manage to crack the beautiful screen. Not by dropping it, but by applying the screen protector! It seems as though a screw was overtightened, and the pressure did it in. At least I got a few good drops in before it broke!

The phone fell out of my back-pocket, less than a foot. 5 or 6 inches. My screen now looks like a majestic spiderweb when you look at it from the side. If you’re reading this and you’re deciding on buying this phone, BUY THE OTTERBOX. The screen is WAY too delicate.

Seems like the testers were either really “lucky” or had a prototype “tough” Note 2 model, as along with the majority of other posters here, my new Note 2 is also stuffed, from a 2 foot drop from my shirt pocket bending over so it fell flat on the glass screen. So flat the screen still looked fine, didn’t break. Battery didn’t even pop out, screen stayed on and bright. But the touchscreen stopped working. I can not touch anything. Even doing a battery reset. But I realised the stylus pen uses a different sensor and tried it and it worked perfectly. So I thought I had a semi-usable phone at least. But within 30mins I noticed “bleeding” at the top-left corner of the screen. So you can’t see that part of the screen. Hmm. Annoying but the rest of the screen is fine. Within 3 hours the bleeding spread – looking almost exactly like someone spilt a bottle of old blue caligrophy ink all over the screen. Almost totally useless now.

Sister put an external battery-case on her new S2. Dropped it. The external battery components got all stuffed up. Cheap $30 deal. But the S2 is all good!

Putting a case on the phone is rather compulsory.I see. As others have suggested, shame that Samsung have made them so ridiculously fragile.

I dropped my Samsung Note 2 from pocket height onto wood floor and it looked fine but all I have is a black screen now. The buttons work, I even have answered a couple calls on it but I don’t know what to do.

Any ideas outside of going back 6 months and pickup the insurance with it?

Thanks

PS I was swapping cases since my newest case doesn’t let the USB cord to plug into the phone. F&%$

ALSO, when I answered the phone call on the black screen, I answered it by swiping my finger across the screen as if unlocking the phone. That tells me the touch sensor works but just no visual output. HMMM Any thoughts??

Those of you with a Galaxy S3 suffering from cracked glass should check out out repair services at iRepairNational.com. It costs much less than replacing the whole phone, and even costs less than most insurance plans (especially when you consider monthly premium + deductible).